1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to data processing systems and more particularly to network communications. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to network communications effects over radio networks.
2. Background
Radio communications are used in many operations between different space, aircraft, ground, and maritime platforms. Operation personnel often rely on radio communications to send and receive critical information during various operations. Terrain, environmental factors, and distance between radios may all contribute to constraints on ideal communication during these various operations. Test operations may be performed in order to properly assess these potential constraints and their impact on radio communications during actual operations.
Live field experimentation is not always practical or possible in order to test radio communications. The number of physical radios used during actual operations may be unavailable or cost-prohibitive to a test operation. In these situations, it may become necessary to augment live testing with virtual and constructive platforms operating over real, emulated, and simulated radio networks. Emulated and simulated radio networks may be used to represent additional physical radios and the actual constraints that may be encountered if the number of radios represented in the test operations where each physical radios operating at various locations or platforms in a real-world scenario.
Controlled test networks are often used for virtual and constructive testing using standard modeling and simulation protocols. This test network is typically established over a simple Ethernet network, which results in ideal or perfect communications. These ideal or perfect communications do not provide a realistic exercise of the radio network systems under test.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that take into account one or more of the issues discussed above, as well as possibly other issues.